Posted on 03/11/2021 10:06:58 PM PST by nickcarraway
The wife of a youth hockey referee, who died from COVID-19, believes he contracted the virus while officiating games in Carver County.
Sixty-two-year-old Dan Culhane passed away in late February. His wife, Nancy Mitchell, also got the virus and was later told by health officials that she had the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom and is considered highly contagious.
“He loved the game itself. He loved the kids, especially the younger ones that were just kind of learning,” Mitchell said.
For 20 years, Culhane built a bond with players, coaches and fellow referees. He was also a cancer survivor who had been told by doctors that he could once again officiate games, with precautions.
“He took extra precautions. Multiple masks, electronic whistles,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been extremely careful.”
But in February, they both tested positive for COVID-19. While she got better, he progressively got worse and had a stroke.
“He was put on a ventilator for the procedure and never came off of it,” she said. “So it was very fast and very shocking, and I just, I don’t want any other family to go through this.”
Mitchell said she tested positive for the UK variant and believes her husband contracted the virus while officiating youth hockey games in Victoria and Waconia. Last week, the Minnesota Department of Health recommended a two-week pause for youth sports in Carver County. MDH said 27 cases of the COVID-19 variant are now linked to the county.
UK Variant Outbreak Linked To Youth Sports In Carver County, Officials Recommend 2-Week Pause “I have empathy for all the parents and kids, but I personally think at the very least they should pause and just sort of analyze this,” Mitchell said. “You might be OK, but you just don’t know who is not going to be OK.”
In the meantime, she is choosing to remember the passion Culhane had for the sport he loved.
“That’s a part that’s so sad is that, you know, he basically died participating in an activity that he loved,” she said.
Eastern Carver County Schools made some changes beginning Monday and running through March 21, including a pause on all non-varsity winter sports and additional safety measures for varsity teams.
The district has not commented on Mitchell’s claims. There is no way to know for sure if Culhane contracted COVID-19 from his refereeing duties.
Carver County parents are pushing to keep sports open, safely. Christina Jax, whose son plays varsity hockey, said she is worried what a pause could do to the mental health of kids in sports. She believes Carver County shouldn’t be isolated, and she wrote a letter to administrators detailing why.
“I don’t think it makes sense to just isolate this poor group of youth athletes. If we’re going to do it, then we need to make blanket statements for everybody, and actually be able to justify it statistically,” Jax said.
Last week, the Chaska-Chanhassen Hockey Association said last week that unless there is a direct order from the governor, Minnesota Hockey or community rinks, they will continue to play.
Lets assess this like pro vaxxers do.
Can’t prove that
Anecdotal
Correlation doesn’t prove causality
When 16(!) young members of the Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Broncos hockey club were killed in a 2018 traffic accident, I don’t recall a national lockdown of the nation’s vehicles.
When your time is over, you go.
Unless it’s a N95 or better from a reputable mfgr., properly handled, etc. (”mask etiquette”), many masks won’t reduce incoming virions enough to prevent COVID-19 infection. Plus, I assume a 60+ year old refereeing a hockey game is going to be breathing fairly heavily at times, making matters worse.
Quality N95’s are still pretty much “Unobtanium” for the general public, so, I further assume the deceased did not have such.
I expect the players were not wearing masks, and would at times be breathing heavily, into cool and perhaps somewhat stratified air, so, if there were a couple spreaders playing, the viral load could be considerable.* (I note that around my area, several COVID outbreaks in schools were tracked to transmission from players from one school to players from another school @ basketball games.)
*Enough to infect a person with a compromised immune system — and this ref was 60+ y/o and a recent cancer survivor. I hate to say it, but, this fellow was taking a considerable risk... and it did not work out for him.
Think about after somebody takes the shot - THERE IS NO ONE TO SUE because the drug companies are not liable.
And wait till people start getting neurological reactions from a blood transfusion.
The kids are required to wear masks in Minnesota. If he did catch the virus while refereeing, double masking didn’t help him. I’m more inclined to think he caught it from his wife or at work. He worked at a radio station as a broadcaster.
Perhaps this is the time to let kids play children’s sports without adult intervention? Or just let them play generally?
Free range?
Cancer survivor
I would think he would get the OK from his doctors to do the officiating. The article doesn’t say if he was vaccinated. That certainly would be news if he was.
Agreed, Cancer survivor, prolly impaired immunity, out on the ice = pushing his luck.
FWIW, virus’s are all around us and can been transported around the globe in days.
Bais flu prevention strategies is the best one can do.
https://academic.oup.com/gbe/article/10/8/1970/5046809
Dust and sandstorm events inject substantial quantities of foreign microorganisms into global ecosystems, with the ability to impact distant environments.
I wonder what’s listed where on his death certificate...
My sisters husband had COVID at 65. He was in bed for 10 days and finally recovered. My sister was with him the entire time. Drove him to the doctor initially for his test and didn’t even stop sleeping with him. She tested negative for the virus and later, tested negative for antibodies.
Hard to explain.
I have an elderly aunt that likely caught it from her hair dresser(both masked). She had a mild case of Covid. Her husband never got it. Go figure..
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